Adina’s Cute & Perky Blog!

Happy Thanksgiving, Cute and Perky People!!!

I am going to have a cheat meal today, relax, and enjoy the day with my family and friends.

Today’s post is a little different.  My friend Karen celebrates her 13th year sobriety birthday today. 

(And for a man I draw inspiration from daily.)

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Today you celebrate a birthday by choice.

When you walk into that meeting, as you have for years, you set yet another milestone.

Another year as clean.  Another year as sober.

You celebrate this birthday because for another year you have consistently done what they tell you to do.

This achievement did not come without hurdles.

The moment of realization. 

The first few days of self-denial.

Learning other ways to deal with life’s problems.

Day after day, week after week getting stronger. 

Until month after month, one year has come and gone.  That first hard year.  One of everything to make it through.

And it gets easier.

And years pass.

And sometimes you get sad, because while you have chosen to stay strong, others have faltered.  Some only making one meeting.  Never to be seen again.

The failure rate is staggering, so your perseverance is testament to your will.  Your will to survive and your will to enjoy the life you were given.

And you find solace… and refuge… and peace in your meetings.  Aware that the day you think you’ve conquered it, is really the day you’ve lost it.

And you keep going and keep doing what they tell you to so.  Making amends.  Finding peace.  Healing your soul.

And so, on this day, when you are reminded of the birthday you chose to have, and the life you chose to make better, stop and for once be in awe of your own strength.  Your ability to adapt and your ability to conquer.  Most importantly your ability to love, heal, forgive… and inspire.

So many people walk through those doors once, and only once. 

But YOU remain to show the world that it can be done.

And you remember the day you gave it all up.  That horrible day your world fell apart.  And THAT day, THAT moment, is what you celebrate today.

Because without that day, there would be no celebration.  Only a life not lived.

And for once, don’t tell me it was nothing…because it is everything.

And I am proud of you.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.